Presentations

Gender equality and the knowledge society. International conference on 'Gender Equity Policies - New Scenarios, Actors and Articulations'

Anita Gurumurthy's presentation at the conference on 'Gender Equity Policies - New Scenarios, Actors and Articulations' (Buenos Aires, Argentina, November 2010) asked epistemological questions about gender equity policies through the lens of the knowledge society, considering issues of production/reproduction, public/private and global/local.

Cultural rights and globalisation of exchanges and of information - UNHCR Seminar on 'Implementing Cultural Rights'

Anita Gurumurthy was part of the panel on “Exploring the relationship between cultural rights and cultural diversity” at the February 2010 Seminar organised by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in partnership with the International Organization of La Francophonie and UNESCO.

Reframing Southern feminism(s): An information society perspective

Anita Gurumurthy delivered two lectures on the interface between Gender and the Information Society on 25-26 March 2010 in Malaysia. At the Women's Development Research Centre (Kanita) in the University Sains Malaysia (Penang), she talked about 'Reframing Southern feminism(s) – An information society perspective'.

'Locating gender politics in the new techno-industrial complex'. A talk hosted by CIS, CSCS and ITfC

The lecture, held on 27 July 2010, was hosted by the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS),The Centre for the Study of Culture and Society (CSCS), and IT for Change (ITfC). Lisa McLaughlin, PhD, Associate Professor in Media Studies and Women’s Studies (Miami University-Ohio, USA), addressed the gendered ties that bind the “new global governance” to the “new information economy”, with a focus on women, work, and information and communication technology.

Teachers' Communities of Learning project, 2010-2011

IT for Change (ITfC), along with the Department of State Research Education and Training (DSERT), and Policy Planning Unit (PPU) and Development Focus (DF) (a local NGO) have designed and implemented a pilot “Teachers Community of Learning” (TCOL) programme in Bangalore district South 3 block during 2010-11.

A seminar on ICT and gender violence: Logging into (in)security

On 10 December 2010, IT for Change was part of the panel on 'Logging into (in)security: a seminar on ICT and gender violence' which was held in Chennai (India) and closed Prajnya's 16-day campaign against gender violence. Chloé Zollman spoke about how, beyond narratives of fear, ICTs could be empowering tools to build ownership of the digital space, and enable thereby to challenge violence and power in constructive ways.

ICT programmes in school education: PPP models vs. integrated approach

The study of two large 'ICTs programmes in School Education' (IPSE) programmes of neighboring Indian states reveals some interesting insights. The integrated model followed in Kerala's IT@Schools programme, which focused on developing systemic in-house capabilities anchored around school teachers, has shown considerable success; in terms of higher teacher engagement, integration of computer learning with the regular learning processes, significant cost efficiencies, greater per-learner computer availability, and development of teacher networks and collaborative content creation processes, which support teacher professional development.

Policy brief – ICTs in education. Outsourced versus Integrated Approach

A number of state education departments in India are launching computer learning programmes in schools. The predominant model for this programme is to outsource the entire program to vendors. However a few states like Kerala have successfully in-sourced this program, by building in-house capacities to conduct this programme. This paper discusses outsourced versus integrated models in this area, drawing from our research in two states of India.

'The Status of Women - Reflections on Two Decades of Change' - A national level consultation organised by Mahila Samakhya Karnataka

Reflecting on the status of women in the past two decades at the consultation organised by Mahila Samakhya Karnataka on 7 March 2009, Anita Gurumurthy articulates a trajectory for gender and development, through the lens of historical phenomena like neo-conservativism and the transnational mobilisation of women, using specific examples such as the class wars against women's bodies and the dowry-based violence, all impacted by capitalism.

Reflections about media, violence, identity and representation - Through an 'information society' lens

This three-day event, called ‘The Daughters of Fire’, was organised by Vimochana and the Asian women’s Human Rights Council in July 2009 at Christ University, Bengaluru (India). The presentation focused on the theoretical framework examining media-related constructs and critiques of the 'new' public sphere through the lens of information society and gender.